


humble protector

by fictionalrobin



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Angst, BAMF Magnus Bane, Crack Treated Seriously, Demon fighting, Fighting, Fluff, Gen, Good Boyfriend Alec Lightwood, Good Parent Asmodeus (Shadowhunter Chronicles), Humor, M/M, Magnus Bane-centric, Protective Alec Lightwood, Protective Asmodeus, asmodeusu just wants to be a good dad, but also angst, magnus bane speaks indonesian (javanese to be specific)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-05-16 13:39:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14812397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fictionalrobin/pseuds/fictionalrobin
Summary: Asmodeus has a bad habit of showing up at the wrong place at the wrong time.like for example right now.





	humble protector

**Author's Note:**

> this was beta-read by Shadow-bellum on tumblr go check out her fics she's amazing  
> also magnus's choice of weapon is low-key (high-key) inspired by the Z-wacker from Z-nation

Magnus was fucking ready. 

The layer house smelled like metal. Their footsteps echoed between the tall container towers, and Isabelle's whip creaked at her waist. At the front of their four-mans-group, Jace's witchlight threw ghostly shadows onto their surroundings and the hunters faces.  

Magnus's heart thumped.  

He was ready.  

It had taken one hundred years and half a sandwich to convince Alec that he was capable of going on a mission, even without magic. He'd spent hours in the training simulator at the institute, pushing, fighting, and slamming opponent after opponent into the madras, and even then, Alec had been hesitant to let him go.  

But now he was here.  

There was a thrumming buzz under his skin. One that pushed and itched to get out. To move. To fight. To jump. To do _something_ other than mope around his apartment with Alec hovering around him like an anxious ghost.  

He was tired of being treated like he was a fragile damsel that might break at any moment. Just because he'd lost his magic. Tired of feeling defenseless. Tired of everything. He wished Alec would realize that he could stand up for himself. Okay, he had to admit it, it was really sweet that Alec worried about him. But he was his own person. He didn't need a mother.  

He just wished Alec would realize that. 

A clang brought him back to reality.  

Jace jumped and the light danced. Next to Magnus, Alec's bowstring complained as it was pulled back.  

They all looked up.  

Nothing.  

"Wind?" Isabelle proposed. Jace moved the witchlight slightly, so he could shine it in her visions direction.   

"This building is pretty old," he said, "it was probably just the ceiling beams creaking or some shit."  

"Yeah," Isabelle muttered, though she didn't take her gaze away from the dark.  

Magnus instinctively gripped the handle of his morning star. The leather creaked softly as he unclipped it.  

He'd taken a liking to the weapon almost instantly. It was made of pure aluminum and was shaped similarly to a baseball bat. Though when you looked at the broad metal spike at end, it was clear that this bat was not meant for balls. At least not of the baseball genre.  

Alec had been surprised when he picked it. Honestly, he'd been too. He'd thought he'd prefer something swift and light –like Isabelle's whip maybe.  

But he liked the morning star.  

He liked how it felt in his hands. How the tip was heavier than the shaft, giving it a good swing, and how he could smash the pumpkins in the training room with a single blow.  

He felt powerful.  

Another clang echoed through the building, but this time it was louder. And closer. Jace's witchlight danced yet again, and Isabelle unclipped her weapon as well. 

"Guys," Jace called from the frontline, "something's moving back there."   

Magnus's heart did an impressive flick-flack, and he almost repeated the action himself. Though he restrained himself to simply pulling the morning star loose of its holster and raising it. He crouched slightly, securing his balance. His skin hummed with anticipation.  

But before he could take one step into the dark, Alec pushed himself in front of him.  

"Get behind me."  

He rolled his eyes so far back into his head his vision actually went black for a moment.  

Seriously? 

He was about to push Alec to the side, when a loud shriek sounded behind them, and the demons hit them from all sides. Jace did his best to hold the witchlight still as he slashed and stabbed and ducked. Isabelle's whip sneered somewhere next to him. Alec instantly pressed himself closer to Magnus, practically trapping him against one of the containers.  

God fucking damnit.  

He should've known this would happen. He should've known the only reason Alec brought him along, was so he could continue keeping an eye on him. Like some sort of bodyguard –a sexy but very unwanted bodyguard. 

He groaned.  

Fuck all this bullshit.  

He pushed Alec aside, probably a bit too rough. Alec called out his name behind him, but he ignored it, he ignored all of it. His eyes hit the glowing red orbs of the nearest demon in the shadows. It clicked and growled, and he gritted his teeth in response.  

 _G_ _et ready to die, bitch_  

He swung the morning star in his grip. Round and round. Faster and faster, until he had enough runup to give a fatal blow. His feet almost slid across the floor, and suddenly everything seemed to slow down. 

He'd experienced something similar before. That feeling you get in a fight, where everything is suddenly 300x sharper, and your ribs expand. But he'd never had this slow-mo feeling. In magical fights, everything was sharp and fast and bright, and if you couldn't keep up you were dead.  

But this was nothing like fighting with magic.  

His breath echoed inside him. Steady. Secure. Ready. He moved closer to the demon with steady movements and sharp vision. He could see everything, hear everything, almost scarily clear. The demon released a clicking exhale and lowered its insect-like head. He lifted the morning star. Everything in him sung, and he could feel the motion before he'd even carried it out. How the blow to the skull would thud through his entire arm and rattle his ribs. The feeling of hard material cracking under the spikes, and warm liquid spraying onto his wrist.  

 _H_ _e craved it._  

He swung the star back over his shoulder, twisting his torso and tensing his wrists. The demon charged at him with a shriek, exactly the way he wanted it to. Its lanky legs scraped along the floor, and he swung the morning star, putting as much force as he could behind the blow.  

An orange explosion blasted him backwards before he could even reach his target.  

He tumbled backwards. Concrete scraped his cheek and his palms, and he was pretty sure he felt his left pantleg tear on the knee. The slow-mo feeling stopped, and everything suddenly felt too fast and confusing. He could hear something. Fire crackling, a booming voice. Something that smelled like magic. He tried to sit up.  

But he couldn't.  

He furrowed his brow and tried again. No luck.  

 _W_ _hat the hell?_  

Why couldn't he move? What was going on? Had he been paralyzed? How bad had he hit his head? He could move his fingers and toes just fine, and he could feel the warm wound on his left knee. Then why couldn't he move? 

Something was holding him down. 

The realization hit him almost immediately, and he would've smacked his forehead if he could move.  

 _M_ _agic._  

Motherfucker. The orange explosion hadn't been an explosion at all. It had been a force field. A magical forcefield. The booming voice echoing through the buildings belonged to the silhouette at the corner of his vision.  

He twisted his neck to get a better look, which was harder than it seemed, thanks to the restraining spell.  

Asmodeus's coat billowed around his legs, and his long black hair mirrored the motion. He was standing slightly left of Magnus, with his hands raised in front of him. Orange fire stemmed from his hands and practically lit up the entire warehouse. The fire curved and curled around them in like it was trying to hug them.  

"ASMODEUS!"  

It came out grumpy, and maybe a bit to teenager-who-just-woke-up-ish, but he didn't really care. He glared at his father's back with so much spite, he was surprised his coat didn't light on fire.  

"Let me go!"  

"Not now child," Asmodeus replied, and pushed his hand out. The forcefield expanded and engulfed two demons with a shrill cry.   

Magnus cringed.  

 _C_ _hild._  

The word made his intestines twist in protest, and he gritted his teeth. The restraining spell still weighed him down, but suddenly it seemed heavier. He twisted and wormed in frustration.  

"Mbo ne ancok," he cursed and felt the bonds tighten, and this time he was sure it wasn't just his imagination.  

"language!" Asmodeus growled in front of him and abolished further three demons with the push of his palm.  

"let me go," Magnus shot back through clenched teeth. He could see the three hunters out of the corner of his eye, pressed up against a container wall, closely observing the scene in front of them. His cheeks burned with embarrassment.  

"Asmodeus!"  

"Fine!" Asmodeus threw his hands into the air, and the forcefield flew forward like a fireball shot from a catapult. It disappeared into the dark, leading a ring of light around it and scorching any demon that dared to be in the way.  

Magnus felt the restrains disappear, and he jumped to his feet.  

"What the hell," his pointer finger was in Asmodeus's face before he'd even fully turned around. The digit shook more than he wanted it too, and Asmodeus went cross eyed at it.  

" _H_ _ello_ _father, how have you been?_ " Asmodeus replied in a voice sharper than Clary's knifes and pushed his finger away.  

Magnus's jaw shook with anger as he pushed it out, "shut up! You know exactly what I mean."  

"You were in danger. The situation required immediate action."  

"I was not in danger!"  

"Really?" Asmodeus raised an eyebrow, "an Arachnid demon was charging at you with full speed child."  

There it was again. _Chil_ _d_. It felt like every time Asmodeus called him that, he got shorter.  

"I had it under control."  

"You're not the one who gets to make that decision." 

"I AM AN ADULT!" Magnus exploded, and behind him, Alec flinched.  

Asmodeus crossed his arms, "then act it."  

Magnus's jar fell open. He gaped narrow-eyed at his father, and it took everything he had not to smash his morning star into his face. Asmodeus's eyes twinkled daringly, his glamour slipping for a second.  

"And here I was, thinking my son would be glad to see me..."  

"Uhm, excuse me?" They both spun around to glare at the sudden interrupter.  

Isabelle twisted her whip nervously, "sir....demon....thank you for your help, but we would like to get out of here before more demons arrive, and we would very much like to take Magnus with us."  

Asmodeus blinked, and his cat eyes disappeared. He stared at Isabelle, paused in mid-rage, like she was the strangest thing he'd ever seen.  

"Sir...sir demon?" He tilted his head.  

Isabelle's cheeks flushed with blood, and she mumbled an apology. It was strange watching Isabelle blush. She was usually bold and confident, and actually the one making other people blush. But now she was suddenly quiet.  

Asmodeus cleared his throat, "no offence taken. I'm glad to help. But Magnus and I aren't done, so I guess I'll have to join you."  

Magnus snapped his head around so quickly, his neck cracked, "you absolutely will not."  

"Why not?"  

"You-" Magnus interrupted himself before he could yell, and hissed out between his clenched teeth instead, _"apa sing tok lakokke wis cukup_ _."_   

"English please," Asmodeus scolded, "it's rude to speak in languages in front of people, that they do not understand. I thought I'd raised you better. Now apologize to dear...what is your name?"  

"Isabelle."  

"Isabelle."  

He'd never wanted to punch another person so much. Really. It was fascinating. He crossed his arms in defiance. Asmodeus observed him patiently, and he shot his jar out, and tried his best to burn a hole in his father with his mind. It didn't work.  

"Go on."  

He narrowed his eyes even further. Asmodeus tilted his head to the side and didn't budge a millimeter.  

"Uuuuuurgh," Magnus rolled his eyes in defeat, "fine! _I_ _apologies for my rude behavior_ _Isabelle_."  

"Great," a satisfied smile spread on Asmodeus's features, and it made his blood boil. It was the kind of smile you gave a kindergartener when they'd finished throwing a fit. A _see-I-was-right-and-you-were-wrong-_ _now_ _-what-can-we-learn-from-this-experience_ kind of smile.  

 "Well in that case, what are we waiting for? I can't wait to meet all of your friends." 

Magnus seethed. No, you don't understand, he _seethed_. Like a teapot about to boil over.  

But there was nothing he could do about it.  

Judging on Asmodeus's gratified expression, he wasn't backing down. He snapped his fingers, and a metallic portal appeared behind him.  

"Now, let's hurry out here, before more of those demon-bastards show up."  

- 

"I just don't understand him! How come he suddenly cares? And how in the world is this any of his business!?" Magnus smacked his hand into the table, making his makeup rattle.  

"Magnus," Alec said from the bed, "he's your father."  

Yeah, right. Like that meant anything to Asmodeus.  

"That hasn't really changed much in the past," he muttered.  

Alec sighed. He was sitting on the edge of their bed, the madras dipping under his weight. His knees were tucked together, and his arms were pressed into his side. Almost as if he was cold. Magnus would've asked if he should close the window if he wasn't so upset.  

Asmodeus had portalled them to Magnus's loft with an ease that made something inside him scream. To have his father intrude on his territory with such ease, slide in almost Michael Jackson-style, without him being able to do anything about it was enraging and _so_ _so_ _frustrating_. And of course Asmodeus had insisted on staying.  

Magnus could hear him in the living room, happily chatting away with Isabelle, while Jace silently drank his tea, (he'd barely said a word since Asmodeus showed up, and Magnus suspected he might be slightly scared of him).  

_Bodho_

He crossed his arms and glared at the floor.  

"He cares about you Magnus," Alec said, but Magnus still didn't look at him, "Maybe he has a strange way of showing it, but he really does."  

"He doesn't care," Magnus sneered, "He only protects me, because he thinks I'm a child. He doesn't respect me. He just doesn't want his precious trophy to get scratched. Not like you're any better."  

The last part he mumbled. Because he didn't really want to say it. But he had to. The words sat bitterly behind his lips and pushed, until they popped out on their own.  

"What?"  

Shit.  

"Magnus," Alec furrowed his brow, and leaned forward, suddenly not so cold anymore, "what do you mean?"  

He shrugged his shoulders and looked at the ceiling. He wanted to say it. He wanted to scream at Alec. Wanted to tell him _everything_.  

"Hey," Alec's shoulders dipped, "you're not my trophy. You're my boyfriend. I just don't want you to get hurt now that you've just lost so much." 

"See! Right there, that's exactly what I mean!" The words finally escaped his mouth before he could stop them, "you think I'm weak! Or at least you treat me like I am. You hover around me like I'm a toddler. I am centuries old Alec! I'm not naïve, nor am I any weaker than you, just because I'm a mundane!" 

The last part stung a little to say.  

But it was true.  

Alec paused. His eyes widened, and his chest pulled back. For a while he didn't say anything, just stared at Magnus's hurt glare as he thought.  

he finally breathed out and starred at his lap, "I-I'm sorry. I didn't realize."  

Magnus raised an eyebrow, "really?"  

"Yeah, really," and Alec actually sounded genuine, "you're right. I'm sorry. I care about you, and I don’t want you to get hurt, but I shouldn't have treated you like that. I shouldn't have made you feel inferior."  

He gazed at Alec's face for a while. At his tense eyebrows, and big dark eyes, that shun with honesty. He'd leaned forward even more, like he Magnus was a magnate. An Alec-magnate.  

Honestly, that wasn’t the worst type of magnate to be.  

"It's," he hesitated a bit, before he smiled, "it's okay. I forgive you. Just...just don't do that anymore."  

Alec smiled back. A beaming warm smile full of sunshine, "I promise."  

Then his smile tilted. 

"What if tomorrow, I let you beat the crap out of me in the training area. You know, as payback for being stupid," he raised his hand when Magnus tried to interlude, "I promise I'll fight back. Honestly. Even though it won't make a difference. The way you handle that bat is actually pretty scary."   

"It's a morning star," Magnus corrected him with, "not a bat."  

Alec was just about to laugh something back, when the door burst open.  

"Magnus!" Asmodeus waved at him from the opening, and Magnus jumped. In the midst of everything, he'd completely forgotten that his father was there.  

"Get in here, I was just about to show off your baby pictures." 

 _O_ _h god._  

Asmodeus nodded excitedly at Alec, who had gone back to his freezing-position, "there's this one in particular where he's wearing a miniature shaman robe, it's so cute!"  

 _OH GOD._  

"Actually!" Magnus broke in, mostly because he wanted to steer as far away from this train of events as possible, but also because he genuinely needed to say some things, "Asmodeus, can we talk?"  

Alec send him a careful look from his post on the bed. Magnus nodded back, a short, but silent conversation passing between them, before Alec got up and silently left.  

Asmodeus glanced after him when he squeezed past him in the doorway.  

"Woah," he raised his eyebrows, "who peed on his sugar cookies?"  

"No one, will you sit down?" Magnus nodded towards Alec's abandoned seat and leaned back in his chair. He tried not to look too mad as Asmodeus carefully walked over and bumped down on the madras. Suddenly, Magnus felt like a therapist. A bizarre reversed therapist, who's sessions were about himself rather than his clients. 

"Is everything alright?" Asmodeus peeped, and if Magnus didn't know any better, he'd say the man was nervous.  

"We need to talk about what you did today," Magnus leaned forward, looking his father directly in the unglamoured eyes, "look, what you did...you can't just interrupt like that. You can't just burst into my life, especially on a mission. It's not alright."  

Asmodeus didn't say anything. His mouth was pressed into a white line, and he looked a bit like a kid who'd just been caught stealing from the cookie jar.  

"But you were in danger."  

"No, I was not. And even if I was, I'm an adult. You raised me yourself, you've taught me to defend myself, and me fighting demons have been anything but an issue for you before."  

"Yes, but that was with magic!" Asmodeus exclaimed.  

"Then just give me my magic back!" Magnus squeezed the armrest on his chair. The sentence had emerged from his mouth. Without his permission, and far more aggressive than he wanted it, "wouldn't that solve the problem? Just return it, and we can be over with this whole mess."  

Amsodeus looked down in his lap, "I can't" 

"What!?"  

"Don't worry, I didn't destroy it! It's just against the law."  

"Law?" Magnus furrowed his brow, "since when did demons follow a law? Isn't the whole point of Edom that it's a burned down wasteland without any rules?"  

"Well, yes it was," Asmodeus groaned, "but then Belzebuth began this whole show about _modernizing_ _the system_ and _scientists have made research proving that a society thrives best under a system of unity and order_ and all kinds of crap. He made an entire twenty-one slide long powerpoint about it, and then Cerbere jumped on the train and...well it all just went downhill from there."  

Asmodeus finished his rant with and eyeroll, "anyways, we can't undo deals anymore. It's _impractical for the records._ So to get your magic back we'd have to make a new deal, and that's a whole thing in itself. Tons paperwork, especially since you're my son. And we're trading a product that has already been traded between us before, which means we'll have to wait another decade or two before we're even allowed to make the deal. Or was it centuries? Or months? whatever I didn't really read the whole thing through. The system is in no way as _in order_ as Belzebuth claims it would be."  

Magnus observed his father as he spoke. Then it occurred to him that they were making conversation, and that he was actually enjoying it. This mundane form of small-talk was new. New and maybe...cozy? It felt nice to connect with his father this way. To hear about his day as he groaned about various greater demons' ridiculous powerpoints.  

Then the feeling stopped.  

"But if you knew what you were getting into, why did you do make the deal in the first place?"  

Asmodeus blushed. Actual demon overlord of hell, father of the most powerful children in the world, and holder of the most destructive power known to the universe, blushed.  

This conversation was getting more and more bizarre.   

"Well, it seems there's been an unexpected...default in our deal," Asmodeus coughed.  

"A default?"  

"It turns out I actually care whether or not you get hurt," the demon stared into the floor, as if he was demanding it would stand up and explain what was going on, "and-and I'm not really used to this...feeling...this feeling of...love?"  

Magnus froze.  

Demons couldn't love. They couldn't. Not like humans. When demons loved, it was objectifying. They didn't love you for you, but because of your abilities or because of what you might be able to do for them. It was a form of affection he was used to, not only steaming from his own father, but from many past lovers.  

And it made his skin crawl.  

"That's...that's not possible..."  

"I know!" Asmodeus exclaimed, and Magnus jumped, "and that's why I can't understand it! I constantly worry about you and whether or not you're okay. Not just if you're dead or alive, but just during everyday activities. I wonder if you've ate your breakfast and if you remembered to drink enough water, and I wonder if you're sick or if you work too much, or if you remembered to shower and clean your room or take your meds or if you have someone to talk to when you're sad or if you've put on enough sunscreen when it's hot outside. And I want to hear about your day, and make sure you take off your makeup before going to bed so you don't end up with an eye infection. And I want to make sure..."  

Asmodeus went on for a couple of extra minutes, while Magnus just sat there. He couldn't understand what the hell was happening. The way Asmodeus described his thoughts. It sounded almost like he cared?  

A slow smile spread across his face. He didn't want it there, not really, and it was shy. But he couldn't help it.  

"Asmodeus," he cut in, while Asmodeus was describing how he wanted to make sure Magnus's socks weren't holey, "I think what you're describing is being a parent."  

Asmodeus's back straightened a bit. Not a lot, but a bit.  

"You think so?"  

Magnus cleared his throat, "yeah."  

"Well," Asmodeus hesitantly smiled back, "I-I would like to be your parent. For real this time. I want to explore more of this...love...thing."  

"You do?"  

"Yeah," Asmodeus's shaky smile widened, "if you want me to that is."  

Magnus thought for a little bit. He thought about how Asmodeus had treated him as a child. He thought about all the horrible things he'd experienced. Then he remembered Asmodeus telling him he loved him, and wanted to make sure he brushed his teeth twice every 24 hours, and how vulnerable he'd sounded when he'd talked about love.  

"I want us to try," he then said.  

"Great," Asmodeus nodded approvingly, his face practically splitting in two, "how about-"  

But Magnus never heard what was about. Because before he Asmodeus could finish, Isabelle flung the door open.  

"Are you guys taking a nap or what? Get out here! I wanted to take a look at those photos."  

 _photos?_  

"Oh!" Asmodeus clasped his hands together, "yes! Of course! I'll get right to it."  

 _OH GOD THOSE PHOTOS!_  

Magnus let out a panicked yelp and leaped out of his chair, desperately trying to stop his father. But it was too late. Asmodeus had already snapped his fingers, a huge photo album of magically generated photographs resting open in his hands.  

"Where shall I begin..." 

And then it all went downhill from there. Magnus wasn't really sure what he'd said yes to, when he'd accepted Asmodeus as his parent, but it certainly wasn't this. The rest of the evening was spend full of laughter, coming from everyone except for Magnus. He'd never been so embarrassed in his life.  

But at the same time, he'd never been happier.  

**Author's Note:**

> translation:  
> Mbo ne ancok: motherfucker  
> apa sing tok lakokke wis cukup: what you've done is enough  
> bodho: stupid
> 
> !!!!!!!PSA!!!!!!!!  
> so my both of my tumblr blogs got deleted, my main blog (@polar-robin) as well as my side blog where i posted my fan fictions (@fictionalrobin)
> 
> IF YOU KNEW ME ON ANY OF THOSE URLS THIS IS ME
> 
> i have yet to set up a new writing blog, so if you want to read my fics, you can just follow me @robinowich (it’s a lot of work to set up a blog and I’m already exhausted from setting up my main one)
> 
> no i don’t know what happened, to me it seemed random, however I had just edited my settings for the new privacy policy thing (WHICH IS IMPORTANT CUSS I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF ANYONE HAS EXPERIENCED A SIMULAR PROBLEM)
> 
> anyways, I lost 350 followers on one blog and close to 100 on the other, as well as three years of gain, and I had to set up a whole new email address, because tumblr still registered me as a user even though my blog had been deleted, and it just said “your blog has been terminated” when i tried to log in :’)


End file.
